Most prominent departments
At a glance: Appropriations and staffing changes from the 2024 budget
CDPH saw some of the largest departmental reductions in budget allocations and staffing, both as a net change and as a percentage of the previous year's budget. The expiration of pandemic relief funding and its spending drove the bulk of the cuts. The CDPH-19 grant and local COVID-19 fiscal recovery funds decreased by -34.6% and -21.9%, respectively, a total decrease of -$151.7 million from the previous year's budget. The largest staff reductions come from eliminating clerk, project management and social worker positions. The new program positions include the addition of 20 emergency medical technicians and two emergency medical services supervisors, as well as four community intervention specialists. The California Department of Public Health has no new appropriations or significant increase in appropriations other than the addition of a new reserve credit category, an appropriation that appears in several department budgets and was also applied retroactively to 2024 budget data. The Better Government Association has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management to clarify the purpose of This is approved and you have not yet received a response. The second largest increase in appropriations is the new cultural programming grant category, for which only $154,601 is budgeted. The largest cuts relate to department spending and contracts: The delegated agency's spending fell by $27.2 million from the previous year's budget, mostly due to reductions in appropriations from pandemic relief funds. Professional and technical services saw the largest reduction ever, down $397.8 million from 2024, driven primarily again by reductions in pandemic relief funds, with significant reductions in appropriations from the Federal Grant Fund as well. Although appropriations are much smaller overall, the Department's matching and supplemental grant allocations have been almost completely eliminated, falling to $29,113 in this year's budget from $820,000 in 2024. As of October 28, 2024, when the new ARPA dashboard was made available and associated data sets. , CDPH had $142.1 million in ARPA funds allocated, of which $75.5 million (53.1%) was obligated and $55.5 million (39.1%) was expended.
Historical context
As the city's central department for infectious disease response, the Department of Public Health's responsibilities and budget have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The California Department of Public Health's 2022 and 2023 budgets more than quadrupled the department's pre-pandemic allocations, driven primarily by federal grants.
Before the pandemic, the department's budget growth rate for 2011-2020 averaged 1.8% per year. Departmental budgets generally increased at an average rate of 1.5% per year during the same time period, while the total city budget including general fund appropriations grew at an average rate of 4.5% per year.
The department's pre-pandemic budgeted workforce shrank at a rate of approximately -3.8% per year from 2011 to 2020. The city's overall budgeted positions remained relatively constant over the same time periods, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging an overall growth rate of -0.002%. .
Employment
CDPH saw a significant increase in budgeted positions in the previous year's budget, with a net increase of 70 positions and FTEs, driven primarily by an increase in budgeted nursing and clinical staff positions.
This year's net headcount reduction of -124 positions and full-time positions includes reductions in clinical staff – including the elimination of 24 nurse practitioners, 16 mental health crisis physicians, and 29 public health nurse positions in various titles – but also adds 14 nurses And a supervising public health nurse. 12 participating mental health crisis physicians, offsetting some of the cuts.
Significant new programmatic roles budgeted include 20 emergency medical technicians and two EMS supervisors, as well as four community intervention specialists.
Positions that have been completely eliminated and not directly replaced by repossession include the department's social worker and clerk positions.
Credits
A $129.9 million decrease in appropriations from COVID-19 significant funding and another $21.8 million from the Local Coronavirus Financial Recovery Fund is driving the bulk of the decline in CDPH's budget this year.
Largest credits
CDPH's largest appropriation so far in this year's budget is a $397.4 million “reserve balance” appropriation from federal, state and local pandemic relief and grant funds.
This appropriation, which appears in the budgets of many departments and was retroactively added to the 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year’s budget at the time of its approval. The Better Government Association has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management to clarify the purpose of this appropriation and has not yet received a response.
Salaries and wages are the second largest appropriation. However, unlike most city departments, the city's Department of Public Health allocates more money to pass-through spending than direct employee salaries – delegated agency appropriations (used for third-party groups that provide services on behalf of the city) and professional and technical services appropriations (used to contract services provided to the city). They are the third and fourth largest public health department allocations, and combined exceed internal salaries and wages.
Also unusual for departmental budgets, the California Department of Public Health has several appropriations accounts for a single program or category of programs, including the Violence Reduction Program and the Reproductive Health Initiative, both of which also appear in the department's largest appropriations.
Of the 10 largest appropriations categories, only the New Reserve Credit and Scheduled Salary Increases category saw larger appropriations this year compared to the 2024 budget. Allocations for the Violence Reduction Program and the Reproductive Health Initiative remained unchanged, while the other top 10 categories saw decreases from the previous year's allocations.
Change from previous year
CDPH does not have any new appropriations or increase in appropriations other than the addition of a new reserve balance category. The second largest increase in appropriations is the new cultural programming grant category, for which only $154,601 is budgeted.
Although still among the Department's largest appropriations categories, pass-through spending across delegated agencies and outsourcing across professional and technical services appropriations saw significant reductions.
Delegated agency spending was down $27.2 million from the previous year's budget, mostly due to reductions in appropriations from pandemic relief funds. Professional and technical services saw the largest reduction ever, down $397.8 million from 2024, driven primarily again by reductions in pandemic relief funds, with significant reductions in appropriations from the Federal Grant Fund as well.
While appropriations are much smaller overall, the department's matching appropriations and supplemental grants have been almost completely eliminated, falling to $29,113 in this year's budget from $820,000 in 2024.
ARPA allocations
The City Budget does not typically break down budget appropriations to the programmatic level. However, this year the Office of Budget and Management made available a new ARPA dashboard and associated datasets detailing allocations, commitments, and expenditures for ARPA-funded programs.
As of October 28, 2024, when the dashboards became available, CDPH had $142.1 million in ARPA funds allocated, of which $75.5 million (53.1%) had been obligated and $55.5 million (39.1%) had been spent.
Two CDPH program categories, the Vigilance Center and the “Essential City Services” category, received no allocations from ARPA.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Program spent almost all of its allocated ARPA funds (98.6%), and the Environmental Risk Reduction and Community Resource Exploration Programs were the closest to spending all of their allocated funds, at 74.3% and 73.6%, respectively.
ARPA funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024. The City can obligate funds by entering into a contract, order for services, grants, or similar transaction; By entering into an interagency agreement; By allocating funds to cover certain staffing costs for positions that existed and were filled before December 31, 2024; Or using it to cover the legal or administrative costs of ARPA itself.
As of October 28, 2024 data, the City has allocated approximately $1.9 billion in ARPA funds, of which 91.8%, approximately $1.7 billion, has been obligated.
